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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27376084">Whatever Happens</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nununununu/pseuds/Nununununu'>Nununununu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Comfortween 2020 [29]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mandalorian (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Caretaking, Comfortween 2020, Games, Gen, Hugs, ManDadlorian, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Season 2 Episode 1 spoilers, Slice of Life, The Force, Trust, Wordcount: Over 1.000, day 29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:56:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,140</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27376084</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nununununu/pseuds/Nununununu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i>In honesty, it had taken Din far longer than it should have to even work out what the child was attempting to </i>do<i> at first.</i></p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Baby Yoda (The Mandalorian TV) &amp; Din Djarin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Comfortween 2020 [29]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948441</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>363</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Comfortween 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Whatever Happens</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>29. Supernatural Comfort<br/>For the prompt <i>use of magic or sci fi powers to help comfort someone.</i></p>
<p>Contains spoilers for season 2 episode 1.</p>
<p>(Date will be altered to reflect the series order after a few days. Slightly edited for a few words that strayed)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p>Large dark eyes watch intently as Din arranges the cluster of stones in front of the skull of some local beast they’re using to represent the krayt dragon. He’s learned by now that the kid doesn’t want anything further than rough accuracy, those large ears drooping and a whine of protest building in the little throat if he takes too long or instinctively endeavours to faithfully replicate the scene.</p>
<p>They’re not recreating what happened in the attempt to analyse it, after all, even if it had taken Din a while to work this out.</p>
<p>Instead the kid’s enjoying the anticipation. Watching his caretaker set everything up before he gets to use his powers to send the dragon on its rampage.</p>
<p>“It was something like this, right?” Din checks as the kid sets the stone the little one appears to have decided represents himself down, asking as if he doesn’t know, “You happy with it?”</p>
<p>“<em>Mm</em>,” The little one nods decisively, an enthusiastic grin spreading across the tiny face.</p>
<p>Tiny hands drift together and then apart, the kid pondering where best to start this time. Leaning in, he carefully nudges the skull-dragon forwards towards the stone-people, before glancing up at his caretaker for his input.</p>
<p>“They’re fighting the dragon, but it’s not working,” Din obligingly provides. After several failed attempts, he’s starting to get a handle on the role he’s been awarded in this performance.</p>
<p>He never had the opportunity to play like this when he was a kid, not after the death of his parents. He can barely even remember before; he probably <em>did</em> play, but any memories of it are lost to what came after.</p>
<p>In honesty, it had taken Din far longer than it should have to even work out what the child was attempting to <em>do</em> at first.</p>
<p>“Mm!” Satisfied, the kid turns his attention back to the stones. They surge forwards before skittering back as if under their own power, tripping over themselves in the haste to get away from the skull. Dragon. The skull-dragon.</p>
<p>A gesture of a tiny hand and the skull-dragon wobbles into life as well, lifting up slightly from the ground before plopping down on top of one of the stone-people.</p>
<p>“<em>Mm!</em>” The kid bounces up and down.</p>
<p>“It nearly ate that one,” On an expectant stare, Din therefore narrates. A wave of a tiny hand and the small stone scuttles out from under the skull and away, “But it escaped.”</p>
<p>“<em>Rhhh</em>,” The kid sends the skull-dragon rattling after it, squealing in amusement.</p>
<p>“It escaped narrowly,” Din corrects.</p>
<p>“Rhhhh!” With a fast down sweep of his tiny hand, the little one compels the skull-dragon into crashing into the crowd of stone-people, roaring happily, tiny feet stomping on the ground, the kid nearly tumbling over himself with the force of his enthusiasm as he snatches up the stone Din is fairly certain is supposed to be him, “Ghhhh!”</p>
<p>“Yeah, it did eat me,” Din agrees.</p>
<p>“Gah!” Tiny hands stuff the toy-Din inside the skull-dragon’s mouth, before the thing rises up into the air properly, dark eyes narrowing as the bone spirals and then cracks.</p>
<p>The toy-Din comes flying out.</p>
<p>“<em>Bleurgh</em>,” Peering at the stone as if expecting it to be covered in gunk, the kid wrinkles his tiny nose.</p>
<p>“It really was bleurgh,” And it had taken Din no little time to clean off his armour. Although he’s given it all a thorough scrub along with himself, his nose still keeps trying to inform him the inside of his helmet smells of the stuff.</p>
<p>It’s just the memory, though.</p>
<p>Looking down at the kid as the little one leans against Din’s leg to rest, the game apparently concluded for now, something tightens inside Din’s chest. The tips of those long ears barely reach his knee.</p>
<p>He rests his gloved hand lightly on top of that soft head.</p>
<p>“You know, if it had eaten me, you would have been okay,” Speech rises up slowly inside him. It’s not something he’s thought to put into words with the kid before, but it seems like it needs saying. “I know you – witness a lot of things you shouldn’t.”</p>
<p>That’s putting it mildly.</p>
<p>“The alternative is potentially leaving you in even greater danger,” And putting anyone he asks to look after the child in potential danger too. “That’s not a risk I’m prepared to take.”</p>
<p>But he had asked Vanth to look after the kid – if Din no longer could.</p>
<p>“But if something happens to me –” Din only gets this much out before the kid is abruptly clambering up his leg onto his lap, small hands clutching at the fabric of his clothes as he drags himself up.</p>
<p>“Here,” Din puts down a hand, letting the kid cling onto it, supporting him but not picking him up. Letting him figure it out for himself.</p>
<p>“Mm!” The kid stands proudly when he’s made it up onto Din’s knee. Then a frown crosses that tiny face as he remembers and smacks his fists on Din’s cuirass in protest, “Bah!”</p>
<p>“I’ll do everything in my power to protect you,” Din reminds him.</p>
<p>This is as it should be.</p>
<p>But even so, that doesn’t make it a guarantee.</p>
<p>“If something <em>does</em> happen to me, there are others who’ll care for you,” Din soothes his hand over that round head when the kid goes to protest a second time, “People we can trust.”</p>
<p>“Mm,” His tiny face creasing, the kid shakes his head, “Baaaa.” His dark eyes narrow as Din gets a sudden flash of –</p>
<p>Himself.</p>
<p>Himself, being swallowed by the beast. The two of them crashing into the ground in an explosion of dust and dirt. The roar of everything shaking, while the kid watches his caretaker disappear.</p>
<p>For all the vision is jarring, coming from nowhere as it seems to, there is an accompanying sense of certainty to it.</p>
<p>Is this the kid’s memory? Is he experiencing the kid’s emotions from back then? What the little one had been feeling in that moment was –</p>
<p>Faith.</p>
<p>In his caretaker. In Din. A touch of worry when Din didn’t reappear immediately, although this was quickly swept away when he did.</p>
<p>And throughout the whole of it, a deep undercurrent of unfaltering trust.</p>
<p>“We’re going to be okay, aren’t we,” Din blinks behind his helmet as the vision fades, drawing the kid in to cradle him, his hand curving around the little one’s cheek.</p>
<p>And it’s true. Because whatever happens, so long as the kid’s contended and safe, then that’s enough for Din. That’s the thing that matters most, when it comes down to it.</p>
<p>Tiny fingers stroke his wrist in the gap that’s opened up between glove and sleeve, over Din’s pulse.</p>
<p>“Mm,” Gaze calm and steady, the kid croons.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Smiling just a little as he clears his throat, Din agrees.</p>
<p> </p>
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